New York City has completed the first phase of an extensive 911 system overhaul. For the first time, 911 emergency call-takers from NYC police and fire departments, as well as emergency medical dispatch services, are all located in the same place, using the same technology.
“New York City has sought to overhaul its 911 system for decades,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a city news release. “Since the system was created in the 1960s, callers to 911 had to, in effect, ask for help three different times at three different call centers that had no automated way to share data and work together. We now have all of the city’s emergency response agencies in one place and on the same system, with state-of-the-art technology that can handle the large number of calls we see during big emergencies.”
The upgraded system can handle 50,000 calls per hour, more than 40 times the average daily volume and nine times more than the call volume the day of the Sept. 11 attacks. Key aspects of the new system include locating all dispatchers at the PSAP in Brooklyn and integrating NYPD and FDNY computer aided dispatch systems. Other upgrades include:
- Improved data sharing among agencies—including the immediate availability of emergency data to the NYPD, FDNY and EMS—allowing better coordination of resources.
- 911 call-takers’ screens now show the caller’s location and telephone number, as well as a map of the area. Dispatchers can also instantly replay a 911 call.
- Upgrades to the city’s emergency telephone and radio networks, strengthening emergency communications infrastructure and providing for backup capabilities. Infrastructure improvements also include renovations and upgrades at One Police Plaza, which will house a redundant emergency 911 call center for the NYPD, and at existing communications offices in Queens and the Bronx, which house backup emergency 911 operations for the FDNY.
- Installation of automated vehicle locator technology in emergency response vehicles.
The upgrade to the 911 system began in the wake of a widespread power outage in August 2003 that left 10 million people in Canada and the northeast U.S., including all of New York City, stuck in elevators, office buildings and subways. The blackout, according to the mayor’s office, “revealed serious operational and technical vulnerabilities in the city’s 911 system.” A task force analysis concluded the 911 system was plagued by a lack of efficiency and coordination between NYPD, FDNY and EMS, with each agency managing its operations separately. The report also found a lack of backup systems and lack of capacity to handle call volume surges during major disasters.
A second major phase of the upgrade, the construction of a second PSAP in the Bronx, is scheduled to be completed in 2015. The second center will create additional redundancy in the system, city officials say, with both centers being able to handle all of the city’s 911 operations in an emergency.
Read more at mikebloomberg.com/index.cfm?objectid=AED3CBBC-C29C-7CA2-F286305C8B985053.
NTSB: Turn off Cell Phones
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is urging a nationwide ban on cell phone use while driving, except in cases of emergencies. While the five-member board cannot impose regulations, its recommendations are often heeded by federal regulators and lawmakers. Currently, 35 states and the District of Columbia prohibit texting while driving; nine states prohibit hand-held cell phone use but permit chatting using a hands-free device. Thirty states prohibit cell phone use for new drivers.
In making its unanimous decision, the NTSB cited several incidents involving drivers who were distracted by cell phones. “According to NHTSA, more than 3,000 people lost their lives last year in distraction-related accidents,” NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman said in a statement. “It is time for all of us to stand up for safety by turning off electronic devices when driving. No call, no text, no update, is worth a human life.”
Read more at ntsb.gov/news/2011/111213.html.
Oregon Researchers Studying Pediatric Prehospital Care
With a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health totaling more than $3 million, researchers from Oregon Health & Science University have undertaken an ambitious research project to explore and find solutions to safety issues in prehospital care for children.
EMS calls for children are relatively infrequent, so EMS personnel don’t have the experience and, often, the comfort level they have when dealing with adults. Kids also may not be able to tell a responder what’s wrong, while procedures and protocols can vary based on the child’s age and weight, says principal investigator Jeanne-Marie Guise, M.D., MPH, an OB-GYN at the university.
The project, called the EMS Children Safety Initiative Study, started in August 2010 and will run through May 2015. The initial phases include focus groups with EMS professionals in Oregon (including rural and urban, and paid and volunteer services) and a series of surveys in which more than 700 EMTs and paramedics identify factors that contribute to errors and safety events, such as issues with decision making, technical and procedural skills, communication and EMS cultural norms. Subsequent rounds of the survey will ask respondents to prioritize issues that are the most pressing, Guise says.
“This kind of study hasn’t been done in the prehospital environment, and there is tremendous potential … to understand what the vulnerabilities in the system are and where they can be interventions that can really help people doing the important work they do,” Guise says.
Other components of the project include an anonymous tip line where EMS practitioners can share information about challenging pediatric emergency calls (855-KIDZEMS). Future plans include a website or Facebook page where EMS personnel can ask questions or share how their agency found a solution to safety-related issues, and where experts will offer tips on dealing with clinical issues “to get solutions out there as quickly as we can,” she adds.
Project partners include the National Association of EMS Physicians, National Association of State EMS Officials, EMSC National Resource Center, EMS Medical Directors Consortium (Eagles) and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The team of researchers includes emergency physicians, pediatricians and EMS personnel.
Look for updates on the Children’s Safety Initiative at facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150296850728830. Or for more information, contact storc@ohsu.edu.
